Background: In September 2008, CBM reported on the crisis in the north Kivu region of the Democratic Republic of Congo. An estimated 250,000 people were reported Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) by the conflict between rebel forces and government troops in the North East of the country.
As of November 2008, CBM is supporting emergency relief in three different locations in north Kivu: in the Goma area in partnership with COPH, “Conseil de Concertation des Personnes Handicapees” (coordination committee for persons with disabilities), in the Bunia area in partnership with SYSI (Synergy Simama), in the Butembo area in Partnership with the Butembo-Beni diocese and the CBR of the Catholic University of Graben.
The situation in the DRC is very volatile, with the potential for new fighting to break out in different locations at any time. In April 2009, the population of Butembo had to accommodate new displaced persons, stretching the resources of host families to their limits and increasing the number of beneficiaries registered in the emergency project by one third (from 680 families in December 2008 to 980 families currently). In this difficult context our partner is adapting its response, regularly distributing basic food packages, assisting pregnant women to access health services, ensuring that malnourished children access supplementary feeding and that children and adults with disabilities are identified and access relevant services.
Kanyere, a displaced mother of two children, says: “We lost everything but we are alive and healthy. We have found shelter in a host family in Butembo.  Food, clothes, blankets and a mosquito mat were all provided to us at the University clinic where my baby was also born. In Kirumba, my children were suffering regularly from malaria; now we are well and we thank God for those who remember us in this difficult situation.”
In the Bunia area, CBM partner SYSI has provided healthcare services to more than 3000 persons. Because of the unsafe environment and in the context of recurrent displacement, SYSI is implementing small-scale farming activities to enhance access to fresh food through self production. SYSI is currently building 6 houses to accommodate persons with disabilities and their families who are attending vocational training in preparation for returning to their homes. Livelihood and income-generating activities are integral to any emergency response to change the pattern from assisted population to self sufficiency, thus enhancing dignity and self-confidence within the displaced population.
Kalongo Rwabikanga, a program coordinator at a CBM partner project, said: “We can clearly say that we are happy to see the people who left the IDP camps joining the skill training centre in Bogoro village, desperate, without any skill as such, becoming delighted, full of hope to face the future as they are acquiring knowledge at the centre. It was also our pleasure to see the maize and beans growing in the village where people just returned from exile. These plants show hope in terms of food. Maize and beans distributed for seeds are growing to produce more and more seeds, which will be kept to be planted during the next season, so that the agricultural activities will sustain us continuously. As you will see on the pictures, the trainees, displaced persons with disabilities are happy near the sewing machines; may God bless you for making this possible!”
The situation in Goma is somewhat different due to the presence of a large number of relief organisations; therefore our partner COPH has focused its activities on supporting persons with disabilities to access services such as food distribution, water points, appropriate shelters, etc. As COPH is made of several local organisations working in disability they also mobilised a network to offer appropriate support to persons with disabilities with the objective to improve their quality of life and their capacity to cope with life in the camps.

In statistics:

• 15,000 persons have been supported through the emergency response in DRC.
• more than 750 persons were treated for eye impairment
• 200 persons received eye surgery
• more than 50 underwent orthopaedic surgery
• 120 mothers had access to safe delivery
• 893 malnourished children received either nutrition therapy or supplementary food packages

The population of the DRC is regularly displaced by conflict between different groups and the future does not guarantee peace and safe resettlement for the people. Persons with disabilities in this context are among the more vulnerable and need to be considered in any emergency response. The risk of impairment is very high as all services are regularly disrupted because of insecurity, putting young children and pregnant women at risk. Therefore it is very important that CBM partners can continue to implement such project and maintain services both in camps, for host families and for people in the villages. Such activities contribute to the development of the region and help to facilitate a peace building process.